This weekend I will slightly bend the “single photo” idea of the category, by presenting you with two different photos of a “single thing”, only changing the focus from the dusty glass of the window to the roofs beyond. I myself have a problem choosing which one I like more and which one tells which story, so I thought it’s fair to let you decide. The photos are taken in the centre of Sofia, in an old building from the beginning of the 20th century, in the top floor apartment of a friend who needed someone to water his plants while having fun at the beach. So I took the opportunity to make some photos through the window, as the place (and the window itself) really looks like it’s been preserved exactly the same in the last hundred years, and what is even more amazing, the view to the nearby houses also looks like it hasn’t changed much. The only noticeable “modern” thing that came into live in 1953 are the four big floodlights of the national stadium “Vasil Levski” that you can probably see better on the lower photo. The people that know where the stadium is will realize you’re looking at the very centre of Sofia, which has gone through huge changes in the last century and that’s why I was quite amazed to realize this particular angle of view to the city has been preserved through time. So for me both photos bring a sense of timelessness and longing for some older times, just like the song I chose to go along with them.

So now I leave it to you, please let me know with your comments which one you like more?

I like the second one. The first one makes me feel like I need to put my glasses on, but the second one gives the view a chance to appreciate all the shapes of the roofs and windows. I wonder if the people who live in Sofia have finally accepted the tall light poles which must light the town at night to a degree that may not be appreciated by the local people.

I like the first. The second was a nice picture … but the first entices the imagination into a story.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today… 🙂 I’ve been toying with the idea of getting back into photography – I bought my husband a nice camera, thinking he would enjoy reawakening his own talents, and he says he is “too busy”. So maybe it will turn out that I bought it for me… 🙂

A sense of mystery, the passing of time……and sharp images are overrated……..all the camera club judges I’ve ever come across seem to have this fixation about sharp images, and they seem to lack sensitivity to atmosphere and the narrative possibilities of blurred….. I rest my case!

I think it’s so interesting that about half the commenters like the first and half the commenters like the second. That’s part of the fun and mystery of art. I like the first best, the contrast of the “real”, dusty, dark window set against the “dreamy” beautiful, light world beyond.

The second photo certainly gives a lovely clear view and is great if that’s what you wanted to see. As a writer, the second one does so much more to spark my imagination – the story of whoever lives in a place with such a dirty window, for example. Both are great photos, but I like the air of mystery the first one holds.

I’m not sure it’s ‘either or’. I like them both for different reasons. Photo 2 allows you to look more clearly at what is. Photo 1 has an air of mystery, open to suggestion – it allows you to see what might be.

Remember both photos picture the same window, only the focus is changed…so you can actually see quite clearly outside as shown on the second photo, the blurriness is only an illusion the camera gives when focusing on the window and defocusing the background 🙂

First one for me. I like interesting perspectives and textures (like the badly painted window), and i also like some things being in sharp focus compared to others. The backdrop of the town is sufficiently definable to remain interesting and looks a bit like an old faded postcard – another interesting “texture” if you like. Cheers